Wood source / advice

[dnoyeB]

Still planing out my in-wall stereo cabinet. Was in HomeDepot today buying items. Just bought 4x jorgensen 2' bar clamps. Not the heavy duty ones because they seemed too beefy. A 2 foot level and a corner triangle thing, both made in USA.

I didn't buy the wood though. The best looking wood I saw was some sanded 3/4" pine (21 C01 S04) had 5 layers with 2 seemed to be MDF. Price $32 for 4x8. Anyone know what those numbers mean?

Also saw some 'cabinet' grade oak and birch which was hard to really see since the stuff on top was so dirty and I didn't want to move all of it. But it seemed to be 11 layers? I kept counting and found that hard to believe but thats what it seemed. some mdf or somesuch in there too. The veneers seemed ultra thin. They looked good I suppose. I was kinda concerned about the edges and the mdf chipping out. The oak and birch was about $40 a sheet.

Am I barking up the wrong tree here? Perhaps I should hit the local lumber yard for better stuff? Or is this stuff good and I just need to work with it a bit?

I'm in Detroit, MI.

[David]

Don't buy wood from Home Depot! Get thee to a reputable lumberyard where you just might find decent wood. :)

Dave

[barry]

I've had good luck with Homey's birch and oak, some of it in the mid-$40s/sheet. No mdf encountered. I just cut it with a sharp blade in a a carefully-guided saw, and ripped real-wood trim strips for the edges on the table saw. Sugar maple, in fact.

Scrape, seal, stain, couple coats urethane- very handsome indeed.

You'll likely find better material for less at some real lumber yards.

Enjoy, J

[Phisherman]

[dnoyeB]

So you will put a Maple strip on the end of Birch plywood? How deep of a strip?

And I think Ill grab wood from the local lumberyard. I been there before when i built the Jungle Gym. They are sharp folks and usually ask what your doing and offer tips too.